Round The Park

This morning, we decided to take a good walk round Shipley Hill, through the woods and past Mapperley Reservoir. Still warm and sunny, we started off up the hill along footpaths lined with the remaining flowers of Great Willowherb.

It's getting a bit late in the year now, but there are still a few flowers to be found. Where the flowers have faded, berries have started to take over, adding their colour to the hedgerows. among the brightest are those belonging to the Mountain Ash trees.

There is a good crop this year - a welcome feast for birds building up their reserves for the winter.

Leaving the hill behind, we headed for Mapperley Reservoir. In the sunshine, there were some nice reflections.

Far off, on the edge of the water, a Grey Heron stood with its wings open, catching some sun. Sometimes known as 'Delta Winged Sunning' this posture probably has several functions. It could be that the Heron is drying its wings, trying to get rid of parasites, or even converting some of the preening oil compounds into vitamin D.

Whatever it was doing, it seemed to be enjoying the sunshine.